Cold Brew Coffees in a Can

Cold Brew! You’ve probably noticed, but we’re absolutely rabid for this stuff. More caffeine, less acidity and all-natural to boot? No brainer. As we slowly convert everyone in the city to our canned goodness, learn why we love it!

We have had Nitro Cold Brew in our cafes for A little over a year now. The cold brew goes in the keg, comes out the tap, and as it does so it’s infused with Nitrogen gas. While Nitro has been bubbling around the coffee industry for a handful of years now, it’s still brand new in the scope of coffee (history). After seeing it take hold, it’s safe to say that this trailblazing innovation is here to stay. Nitro has quickly become one of our hallmarks. And that’s why we had to send it home with you.

Roasterie Cold Brew and Nitro in Cooler

From the beginning we’ve always wanted you to take us home. Well, our beans, that is… We love offering spaces and cafes to work, meet, play, chat, interview and be apart of our town. But we also love earning the privilege of being apart of your daily ritual. A right earned hopefully more by deliciousness than anything, but we’re happy as long as you’re enjoying the fruits of our passion. However we can help. If customers are enjoying our beans at home, how could they enjoy our cold brew at home?

With all of this newfangled, exciting Cold Brew, we kept thinking about people who love it but don’t live near our cafes. People on the road. People going camping or those just wanting the autonomy of drinking our product without needing to stop by one of our cafes. And that’s when the canning line came about.

The canning line was a new opportunity for us to learn and grow. Every time we try something new, it’s a chance for us to not become stale. As much as possible, we try to keep ourselves on our own toes. And journeying through a new endeavor, like the canning line, is a perfect opportunity. Not only were we desperate to get our cold brew in your hands in the most convenient form possible, it’s a chance to develop our skills. Learning the machine, creating positions and adjusting our production for a new line of coffee was the fun part.

Empty Nitro cans and the canning line

We had to overhaul the process with which we made cold brew. The canning line was a massive purchase and a bold move, so it makes sense that changing the way we run a few things was necessary. While we needed to change and we were hoping to revolutionize cold brew production, we never make any adjustments in our process without the due testing and experimenting. Flavor is always king at The Roasterie. Anything from the grind size in our cafes or the exact amount of time we steep our cold brew–and even the decision to steep versus other methods–are all the product of rigorous trial and error.

This process was manifest in our transition from cold brew cans to nitro cans. Because nitro is made almost identically to Guinness, that nitrogen content necessitated us learning how to can with the widget in the bottom. The widget is a plastic device that stores additional nitrogen gas until the tab is popped and ultimately helps give Nitro that vicious head of foam and the creamy texture and cascade. While it’s awesome to slurp right from the can, give it a very hard pour into a glass and be entranced by the cacophony of textures and the fireworks of bubbles.

Nitro Cold Brew in a tulip glass at The Roasterie Factory Cafe

Cold Brew Cans have become quite popular, but perhaps not more than with hospital staff in the area. For the graveyard shift workers the cans have been a tremendous help. The higher caffeine content is appreciated in the long, late hours of the night. Patients love them, too, and are able to order a can right to their room. Not to mention, that in a hospital the concerns of health are paramount, and the lack of any preservatives, sugars, carbs, calories or artificial flavorings make the cans a truly guilt-free treat.

Cans are also terribly convenient. They do need to be refrigerated, but leaving them in an ice-chest will do the trick. Grab a different kind of six-pack for the next camping trip you take. Heading to the lake? Throw a few in the cooler and forget about all the extra baggage and hassle of bringing a coffee brewing system to the campsite. The beauty of the can is that it’s ready the second you pop the tab, and not a second later.

Our Nitro only comes in 12 oz cans, but the cold brew is made in 12 oz and 8 oz sizes. If you’re sensitive to caffeine or just need a little bit of a pick-me-up, the 8 oz cans are a great choice. They’re little, but they’re powerful. Cold brew is taking the coffee world by storm, and at least in Kansas City, we’re doing our best to lead the charge.